This my entry for round one of RSD. I was grouped with the chess and candles pic. The pics used are 3, 5, 8, and 6.

Every morning Hannah would watch him from her window, wondering why he never left the countryside. He was always out there as the beginning rays of sun streamed through the leaves, kissing the dew on the grass and warming the lingering chill from the night before.

This morning, however, was going to be different.

"Morning, Nathan," Hanna greeted from under a tree.

"Hannah," he said with a nod, glancing around. "What are you doing out here?"

"Came to see you," she said with a smile. "We haven't spoken since high school."

"We never spoke in high school," he said, taking in her green eyes that seemed softer in the morning sun. "What are you after?"

"You really have some issues, Nate," she smirked. "You can still see our initials in this tree. Did you know?"

"Yeah, I know." He shifted his tool box in his hand as he asked, "Where's Derek?"

"Back in the city. I had a holiday break and came to visit mom." Hannah stood up, only a few inches away from him. "She said you have been working on the old lighthouse. Can I see?"

"Sure," he said, taking off and Hannah followed.

As they walked Nathan remained silent so Hannah didn't speak, and instead, enjoyed the tranquil silence. Keeping instep with him despite his longer strides, she tilted her head upwards and basked in the sun. A slight breeze played with her hair as it rustled the leaves. She loved being out surrounded by nature. It made her feel free; a part of something that was bigger than her own life.

Feeling somber, she slumped her shoulders and looked down, watching where her feet were going while trampling through the grass. She wished she could always feel that free-spirited. Lately, she had just been feeling lost; like she was drifting along with everything that was happening to her, to the world around her. She cared for Derek, loved him even, but she felt as if maybe she had lost her own dreams while she helped him to reach his. The girl she used to be was a stranger to her now, and she would like to get to know her again, to find the person she was.

She noticed a wooden fence up ahead and watched Nathan hop over it. He made it seem simple enough, she thought. Placing her hands up on the top post, she threw one leg over then the other when she felt hands at her waist.

"Here, let me help you," Nathan said with his hands at her waist, lifting her up and off of the fence.

"Thanks," she muttered, seeing him pick back up his tool box.

"No problem."

"Are you going to move to the lighthouse after it's fixed up?" she asked conversationally, careful of her footing as the grass gave way to rocky grounds.

"That's the plan." He glanced out of the corner of his eye, "What about you?"

"Derek and I have an apartment. He wants to wait until he is more established to buy."

He nodded his head in acknowledgment, but didn't say anything.

"We used to talk to each other about everything," Hannah stated, not to be put off by his silence, spying the lighthouse. The outside painting had been weathered away from years of neglect, though the windows appeared to be new.

"That was when we were just kids, Hannah. We've grown." He opened the door to the house, letting her go in first. "Things change."

She took in the little dwelling attached to the lighthouse; the walls were stripped down to just the beams and studs. The floor was only a cement slab and there were new support joists across the ceiling. In one of the corners of the room she saw a guitar, a chess game, some candles, and a book. She gathered that he must like spending time out here by himself.

"It still needs a bit of work," he said sheepishly. "The wood was warped and rotting. I had to strip it down and replace it all."

"You've put a lot of work into it," She faced back towards him. "Where did you learn how to do all of this?" she asked, heading for the door to the tower. "Is it okay to go up?"

"My dad. And yeah, it is."

Going up the stairs, Hannah began to realize the full extent of time he had put into this place. Everything looked new; the walls were crisp and clean with a fresh coat of white paint, new soft-black fixtures replaced the old ones. Even the stairs appeared to be new.

Gazing out of the lookout, Hannah was reminded, again, of how small she was in the world. It was beautiful and frightening, the ocean; strong and powerful. Something that wasn't meant to be messed with or challenged. Yet, it held so many mysteries that men couldn't seem to keep away from it. Luring and captivating with the way the waves lapped at the sand, in and out with the tides.

"Breathtaking, isn't it?" came Nathan's voice from behind her. "I still can't get over the sight." He stood next to her, resting his arms on the ledge. "I'm gonna' get to work. You're welcome to stick around, if you'd like." He stood there a moment, taking in the same view as her before heading back down.

Hannah stayed for a while longer, soaking in the moment, before she finally decided to go back down. When she reached the bottom, going into the living quarters, she saw the door to the house was wide open and spotted him outside, measuring and cutting wood.

"Can I help?" she asked while heading towards him.

"Can you paint?" he asked, nodding his head towards some cans that were stashed along the side of the house. "The outside is ready to be painted."

"On it, boss," she jokingly said and headed to the cans. Picking up one, she shook and opened it. Then grabbed a paintbrush to paint, careful not to leave any drips as she moved the brush in fluid strokes.

Every now and then Hanna would steal a glance over her shoulder at Nathan, watching him work. And as the day progressed she didn't fail to see he had removed his shirt, trying to keep cool in the heat. His muscles would flex and contract as he cut and carried pieces of drywall. Once or twice, she caught him at the pump soaking his head in the water, causing his dark-blond hair to cling to his head. She continued painting though as sweat fell from her forehead, running down her face. Only after being satisfied with the amount of progress she made, she stood, stretching her muscles and admiring her work when an idea came to mind.

Checking to make sure Nathan wasn't watching, she headed for the ocean, kicking her shoes off as she ran. Holding her breath as the waves pushed against her, Hannah plunged under the water, letting the chilly water cool her off. Breaking the surface, she faced the shore seeing Nathan bent over his work with his back turned away from her. Smiling mischievously, she crept up behind him and leaped up on to his back while her wet clothes dripped water on him.

"Is that how it's gonna' be?" he laughed out, turning around and picking her up.

"Nate, put me down!" she screeched, and as an afterthought, added, "Please?" when she realized she couldn't get out of his grasp.

"You started it," he said, dropping her in the water.

They had spent the rest of the afternoon splashing and playing in the water. Hannah even managed to dunk him a few times and was very proud with her defeat.

"You think you're the shit, don't you?" he asked as he nudged her, handing her an apple while they sat on the shore, watching the lighting of a storm rolling in.

"Well... I did get you under." She took a bite out of the apple mumbling, "Three times."

"I felt sorry for you and let you pull me under."

"Right, you just don't want to admit a girl got the best of you," she said, grinning at him.

He shrugged, staring out at the sky. "That storm is coming in pretty fast. Don't think we'll make it back before it hits." He stood up, reaching his hand out for her. "You okay with hunkering down here?"

"Yeah." She clasped his hand, letting him pull her up. "Maybe I can even talk you into playing that guitar I saw," she said while they walked back to the lighthouse.

He grinned, "If you can beat me in a game of chess I'll play for you." He picked up his shirt, putting it back on as he waited for her to go in before following, closing the door behind them.

~

"You cheated!" sulked Hannah as she glared at the chess board, wishing she could cause the damn thing to combust into flames with her eyes.

"You asked for help... And I helped you." he said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Helped me to lose," she muttered, laying her head back against a beam and stared at the flames on the candle. It would be tempting...

"Well, if you're going to be a sore loser..." He picked up his book and began to read from where he left off.

Hannah watched him for a while. There was something calming about his mannerism; she felt like she could be herself around him and that he would accept every part of her without judgment. It was sort of liberating, really. No pressure from the outside world telling her what she should and shouldn't do. It was just this moment here, right now, that mattered with the rest of the world cut off from them.

The rhythmic sound of the pages being turned was soothing to her against the storm that raged outside with the waves crashing against the shore. Yet as relaxing as she found it, it meant Nathan was still ignoring her, which wasn't what she wanted. With her clothes sticking to her, irritating her, Hannah began to pull her shirt over her head and placed it on a nearby nail to dry. Hearing the next page turn, she undid her pants and shimmied her way out of them as she tugged them off.

Catching Nathan's gaze as he failed to turn the next page, she looked into his brown eyes and shrugged. He shrugged nonchalantly back and went back to reading, his eyes darting back and forth. However, she didn't fail to see the faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Getting up, she walked over to him and removed the book out of his hands, straddling his lap. "Why don't you have a girl, Nate?" she asked while she unbuttoned his shirt. As it fell open, she let her hands explore the muscles beneath, running her fingers over his chest to his shoulders and downwards, reaching his fingers. She took his warm, calloused hands and placed them at her waist, loving the feeling they caused in her as his thumbs began to gently move up and down on her skin.

"Guess I never found a girl I wanted," he said huskily, staring up into her eyes.

Hannah kissed him, her hands wrapping around his neck and head as her fingers glided through his hair. She felt him respond, deepening the kiss and smiled, letting her tongue dance with his.

His hands began to roam hungrily on her body, gazing softly over her skin and unclasping her bra. While his lips took the lead of his hands as they traveled down her neck, nipping and kissing. With a hand at her back, he took a breast in his mouth, sucking and swirling his tongue around the nub, causing Hannah to squirm as tension built inside of her. She felt him grin against her as she started grinding her hips against him.

Frustrated and wanting more, Hannah undid his pants. Seeing his arousal, she scooted back and took him in her mouth, showing him how much she wanted him as her tongue played noisily.

"Come here," he growled out, his voice deep as he lowered to the floor. With his hands at her waist, he pulled her up to his mouth, tasting her core.

"Nate..." Hannah pleaded, her hands resting against the drywall for support.

"What, Hannah?" he moaned into her, feeling her tightening as he licked at her juices. He eased her down and began to work her up again, sliding his cock inside.

Tired and sweaty, Hannah laid her head on Nathan's lap as he strummed his fingers along to a song by Shinedown with his guitar. She let the sweet melodic music lure her into a daze as Nathan sang quietly.

"Just like a crow chasing the butterfly, dandelions lost in the summer sky, When you and I were getting high as outer space, I never thought you'd slip away, I guess I was just a little too late.... Just a little too late," Nathan sang out the last words. Seeing Hannah asleep, he draped his shirt over her.

In the morning Hannah had dressed and left Nathan to sleep as she went to sit on the beach to see the sunrise. However, it wasn't long before she heard steps coming up beside her and knew it was Nathan.

"I have to go back today," she sputtered out as he sat behind her, pulling her into his arms.

"I know," he rumbled, resting his head along her shoulder.

"Do you ever feel lost, like you're alone and drifting at sea?"

"You know why I stay here?" He waited for her to look at him. "This place anchors me. The ocean reminds me that the world is bigger than I am, and I'm okay with that," he said, kissing the top of her head. "You were meant for bigger things, Hannah. You might feel lost from time to time, but that's okay. You just need to find your anchor, then you'll find yourself."

~

Honking and angry shouts filled the air, but Hannah didn't care. She stayed where she was, lying on the street, and stared up at the sky, seeing the clouds floating across the light blue sea. A soft smile pulled at her lips.

"Hannah?" came a familiar voice she loved so much.

"Hannah, what are you doing?" Derek asked, amused. "We're going to be late on closing the deal on our house."

She got up and took his hand. Kissing him, she mumbled, "Just finding my anchor."